Damage
by fooboo24
Summary: All he wanted to do was ensure their safety as a family. Makorra/MakoxKorra Week - Day 5: Damage.


**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar!

~P~

_Damage_

~P~

_Their screams, pain-filled and blood-curdling, traumatized the little boy listening to them, watching the scene unfold before him with wide eyes, unable to protect or help those burning in front of him._

_His mother yelled something to him, though it was mostly swallowed up by the noise of the roaring fire surrounding them. She told him to flee before the same fate could fall unto him, but he didn't listen – he couldn't. All he could do was stand there and stare, helpless._

_It was only when his father, a man who had always been so strong, so invincible, fell at the hands of the Firebender that attacked them that Mako knew that he could no longer stay there, that he had to heed his mother's words and run before he was next. And so with confused, scared tears running down the length of his young, pale face, he ran and ran and ran until he could run no more, and he managed to drag his little frame into an alley before finally collapsing under the weight of it all, breaking down and sobbing uncontrollably, for he knew that later on, when the dreaded moment that he would have to tell little Bo came, he would have to be strong for both of them, that he wouldn't be able to afford tears then._

_And so there he sat, bawling and weeping to himself, Mako the newly-orphaned Firebender boy._

~P~

"N-no!"

Mako shot up from his place in his bed frantically, sweating sliding down his temple and landing on his chest. His breathing was laboured and his heart was slamming into his ribcage. Staring down at his hands, he saw that they were balled up into fists that held firmly to his blankets. Exhaling shakily, he released them, and then closed his eyes and tried to calm himself from the nightmare he just experienced. As he ran a hand down his face, he wasn't surprised to find that his cheeks were wet with tears.

It was a nightmare that he hadn't had in years, one that he had thankfully outgrown, but upon learning that his wife was pregnant a few months beforehand, it had recently been coming back to haunt him, sending him flying awake in terror in the dead of the night. Much to his happiness, because Korra slept like a rock, she never had to watch him awaken from such a traumatizing dream, and so the Firebender could always pass it off like it never happened until it occurred again. However, there were times that he wished that maybe Korra did notice him frantically scramble back into consciousness, so then they could talk it through and somehow, this might help him overcome it once again so that he could sleep and live in peace like he had before.

But that had never been the case, and so sighing heavily, his fingernails involuntarily digging into his scalp, he collected his scattered thoughts and regained his composure and slowly opened his eyes to the sight of his dark bedroom. Observing it and taking in his peaceful surroundings, he began to slump back into his bed to fall asleep again. Turning to and settling beside his wife, he lowered his hands under the covers and placed them over her swollen stomach and felt a blanket of comfort wash over him at just feeling at the new life.

Within minutes, the Firebender could feel the tug of sleep at his eyelids and they fell easily, but he was shocked back awake when he felt Korra's hands rise to meet his on her stomach and she whispered his name uneasily, "Mako?"

At her uttering his name, his eyes flew open and he blinked at her, only to find that she was already staring up at him, eyes wide and worried as though she had witnessed his outburst. He watched her swallow at him and one of her hands lifted to rest on his cheek, stroking it, and it dawned on him, a pit growing in his stomach at the realization – because she _had _witnessed his outburst.

"K-Korra," he responded back after a few short moments of searching for his voice, which came out raspy and broken. Deciding to try and play stupid, he asked, "How long have you been awake? I'm sorry for waking you, but it was... nothing. Just... just try to go back to sleep." He tried to close his eyes and fake drifting to sleep, but his hopes that she would just brush it off and follow his actions were botched as Korra being Korra, could not leave him be when she had seen him so clearly distressed.

"Mako," she breathed again, a frown prominent on her face, her brows furrowed in concern. His eyes opened again and he saw the trouble swimming in her pupils. She moved herself closer to him until her rounded stomach was bumping his abdomen. "What... what happened? Are you okay?"

Mako sighed then, looking to the side and avoiding direct eye contact. He didn't wish to bring further stress to Korra was she was in such a delicate condition, but knew she would not stop pestering him until he told her the truth. And if he was being completely honest with himself, he wanted to talk about what happened with someone he trusted, and Korra was just that. Sitting up, he whispered, "It was a nightmare."

"About?" Korra prompted, following him into a sitting position with a little help from Firebender.

Mako swallowed uncertainly. "M-my parents," he admitted, and his stomach churned violently, making him feel ill, as the memory of the night of their death popped into his mind as vividly as the day he had watched it occur. It was something he wasn't able to prevent, and it always lingered tauntingly in the back of his brain. He opened his mouth to explain more of the situation, but his voice caught in his throat. It was only when Korra scooted closer to him and wrapped a comforting arm around his frame that he could continue. "I don't know, Korra... i-it's been happening a lot lately. This stupid, reoccurring nightmare."

"Do you have any idea why?" she asked after a short while, rubbing her fingers up and down his arm. Mako had come up with a few ideas as to why such nightmares had suddenly started plaguing him again, but one stuck out to him: becoming a father. His hand found its way to her stomach again and he held it there against it, surprising the Avatar. Ever since Korra had told him that they were going to be parents, he had been ecstatic and couldn't wait to meet their child, but at the same time, he was constantly battling with himself over whether he would be a good one or not. Despite all his efforts, all the ways he prepared for the baby, he just didn't feel like he was ready to be a sufficient father. He was always feeling like something would go wrong or he would screw up royally.

But then there was an even deeper fear in the back of his mind – one he never brought up because he knew that it would just upset the Avatar. Even growing up, it had been nagging at him. He was afraid that if he were to ever have a child, that somehow, the same thing that happened to his parents would happen to him and the child's mother, and that their baby would be left traumatized and all alone, just like he had been once. The idea was one of the few things that really, truly scared the Firebender. The thought of not being there for his child was terrifying for him, and now that having a baby was becoming a reality, the possibility of dying and leaving them orphaned was also becoming a more realistic situation.

With all of this crashing down on the Firebender's conscience, the thought of losing their child playing itself out in his mind instead of his parents' death, he felt tears prick at his eyes and he fought to hold them back, for Korra's sake, but even still, one of them fell down his face.

"Mako!" Korra noticed his tears and her worry for him grew tenfold. "Please," she began softly, wiping away his tears with the pad of her thumb, "tell me. You can trust me."

"What if something happens to us?" he said suddenly, voice frantic, looking at her with anguish in his eyes. "What if one day, we both die and our child is left all by itself, Korra? What are they going to do all alone? I can't... they can't go through that. I can't let them go through that like I did. I want to be able to prevent them the hurt of what I went through... but what... what if we can't?"

Korra's blue eyes blinked up at her husband's amber orbs, taking in his words. Feeling as though her heart was breaking for him, she leaned over again and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him closely and whispering soothing nonsense in his ear. "Oh, Mako," she looked in between him and her tummy. "We will always be here for this baby. I promise you and them now, that no matter what, I will never let anything happen to either of us." When she heard the Firebender sniffle from above her and lift his arms to embrace her back, she continued, "What I'm saying is that there's no need for you to worry – because I will do everything in my power to keep you two safe." Korra pressed a kiss to his upper arm as she finished speaking. Feeling him tighten his arms around her, she considered her own words – while they were very true, there was always the unfortunate and random chance that something could happen to either of them, but she knew that wasn't what he needed to hear. He needed to hear that everything was going to be all right from someone he trusted and loved unconditionally.

It seemed like years passed before they pulled away from each other, and even then, it was only to peer at each other vulnerably before repositioning themselves in the other's arms in a laying position. "I believe you," he whispered to her as they laid there beside each other, petting down her hair. "I do. All I want to do is be here for you and this child, too, Korra." Leaning closer to her and giving her a long, sweet kiss, his hands finding their way back to her rounded stomach, he finished with, "I love both of you."

Korra could feel his hot breath against her mouth, and she shivered before uttering the same words, "I love both of you, too." Giving him another kiss, she easily fell asleep in his arms, snuggling against his chest and dozing off. Mako didn't drift as quickly as she did, instead admiring his small family and deciding that like his wife, he would, no doubt, do anything to protect their baby and Korra, and with that in the back of his mind instead of the dread of possibility of losing his family, he slept peacefully for the first time in months.

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**Author's Notes: **Depressing, fluffy Makorra. What else is new from me?


End file.
